25 Surprising Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

The recent hullabaloo about super foods, health boosters and diet alterations have awakened a new era of conscious eating habits. Consumers nowadays spend considerable time on reading between the lines on the labels of their purchase. Be it for chiseled abs, flawless beauty or regular dietary additions, coconut oil stands out as a popular choice worldwide. But is the pick worth it? Coconut oil aids in coping with multiple body challenges. It provides a range of benefits of Coconut Oil for internal and external use. The availability of coconut oil makes it an easy and affordable choice. Let’s look at the top 25 surprising health benefits offered by it.

Major Health Benfits of Using Coconut Oil in Daily Life

According to Scientific research, coconut oil have more benefits the body in the following ways:

1. Oil for Brain Health

Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids. These fatty acids serve as a great source of ketones which provides immediate energy to your brain. This supply of energy is especially beneficial for people suffering from memory disorders. Ketones aid speedy recovery of the brain.

2. Oil for Heart Care

Monitoring cholesterol levels in your body is becoming a challenging task for everyone. The foods we consume may either be high or low in cholesterol levels. More importantly, not all cholesterol is bad for your heart. There are two types of cholesterol found in food – good and bad. Coconut oil spikes up the levels of good cholesterol in your body. It also converts the bad cholesterol to good cholesterol hence keeping up the health of your heart. Involving coconut oil in your meals can hence minimise the risks of cardiac arrests and related pulmonary disorders.

3. Oil for Arthritis Relief

Results published in NCBI has proved the benefits of coconut oil for providing relief against inflammations and joint pain. This can be attributed to the presence of high levels of antioxidants in coconut oil which can significantly bring down inflammations. This remedy is also helpful in dealing with the stress of arthritis attacks. Patients have reported relief in both oral and external usage of coconut oil. This particular feature of coconut oil makes it a very popular pick in Ayurvedic spa treatments.

4. Oil for Curing Kidney Infections

Urinary tract infections are becoming more common nowadays. The bacteria attacking kidneys forms a lipid coating around itself making it difficult for your body to cope with them. Coconut oil can help break up these lipid coating and assist your body in preventing the infection. Many health experts recommend coconut oil for health-boosting as this natural antibiotic has also been found to prevent liver damages.

5. Oil for Cancer Prevention

With a surging cancer awareness, coconut oil benefits have yet again emerged stronger. Experts elaborate that cancer cell needs the energy to multiply and spread around your body. These cells can easily extract out this energy in the form of glucose. In the case of coconut oil, a major portion of this energy is stored as ketones which are inaccessible sources of energy for cancer cells. This attribute of ketone makes them cancer-resistant molecules. Experiments done in the human colon have also proved this inhibiting characteristic of ketones. Comparative studies reinstitute that switching to coconut oil for health has impressive cancer prevention benefits than vegetable or mineral oil.

6. Oil for Enhancing Digestion

With corrupted eating habits, sedentary lifestyle and busy routines, our gut health is succumbing to a disordered digestion. This may lead to leaky gut, constipation, deficiencies and discomfort. Around 42 million people are suffering from constipation in the United States. Additionally, candida imbalances can add misery in your digestion cycle. This imbalance is often misdiagnosed and leads to fatigue issues and brain fogging in many cases. This can be well dealt by the consumption of coconut oil.

Coconut oil enhances the gut health by eradicating bad bacteria and promoting good ones. It enables a better absorption rate for calcium, magnesium and vitamins. Lipid digestion can be eased by the consumption of this oil. Coconut oil and omega 3 fatty acids complement each other pretty well. Hence, it would be an ideal meal to incorporate both of them in a single meal.

7. Oil for Skin Care

One of the top benefits of coconut oil has been realised in its moisturising qualities for the skin. It’s a definite remedy for skin dryness but there is a lot more to coconut oil when it comes to skin. This oil is anti-microbial. It can be used for sun screening and treat skin inflammations like burns, psoriasis etc. Application of coconut oil over the scars can tone them down. Many skin experts have agreed to the use of this oil as a face cleanser. It is also effective against acne and improves collagen formation for healing acne scars. Using this oil for skin also has anti-ageing effects. These benefits indeed make coconut oil for skin a wise choice over many unnatural and artificial skin care products.

8. Oil for Increasing Stamina

Even wondered why coconut oil is becoming a popular choice for many triathletes? The oil provides energy which lasts longer. Consuming this oil in pure form leads to instant energy generation which makes it an intelligent pick before an impending marathon. For the same reason, coconut oil is being used in many healthy smoothies for gym enthusiasts. In fact, you can simply mix a tablespoon of chia seeds, honey and oil and consume it for increasing your endurance.

9. Oil for Shedding Fat

As this wondrous oil improves the metabolism and digestion it is apparent that many people are using coconut oil concoctions for aiding weight loss. A better metabolism helps to burn the fats better. Also, coconut oil decreases your craving and binging. One way to understand the weight loss mechanism aided by coconut oil is to have some insight on the relation between capric acid and thyroid functioning. A better thyroid functioning implies a lower resting heart rate which further makes fat burning a lesser time-consuming task for your body. This proves the efficiency of coconut oil for weight loss.

10. Oil for Oral Health

The traditional practice of oil pulling is popular in many parts of the world for improving oral health. The oil contains vitamin E, D and A. Out of this vitamin D is good for stronger bones and teeth. Swishing coconut oil has been hailed as a beneficial practice for dealing with the tooth decay. It is known to detoxify your body and improve gum health. The antimicrobial properties of coconut oil make it a worthwhile mouthwash. Many studies have reported the benefits of coconut oil in curbing gingivitis and plaque formation.

11. Oil for Relieving Stress

The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are said to avert the depression induced due to stress. In Ayurveda, application and ingestion of coconut oil have many relaxing benefits. The usage of this oil in various massage and spa treatments have been reported to alleviate the mood and unclog pores. Few cases where coconut oil for acne has given great results in tackling the problem have reported minimising of stress levels in the patients too. Relieving strained muscles and uplifting the overall health of your body can in itself massively bring down the stress bars.

12. Oil for Hormonal Balance

The capric acid in coconut oil aids in the functioning of thyroid hormones. Lauric acid found in the oil has an important role in hormone balancing. Stimulating the secretion of insulin is yet another advantage of coconut oil. Benefits of coconut oil in coping with after effects of menopause are widely studied and elaborated in reputed journals of medical science. This oil aids in preserving estrogen, an important female hormone which corresponds to a healthier lipid profiling in females.

13. Oil for Hair Care

Dandruff is a very common and embarrassing scalp condition. It can spoil the hair quality and can disturb the health of your scalp. A rough, dry and itchy scalp can cause discomfort and devoid your hairs of essential nutrients. Using coconut oil for hair can save you the strain of an infected scalp. This oil lifts up the hydration of your scalp and improves the lipid levels on the surface of your skin. This unique ability of this oil makes it a great anti-dandruff remedy. The combination of lemon juice and coconut oil for hairs is widely popular for tackling dandruff issues. Regular application of coconut oil can strengthen your hairs and enhance their texture naturally.

14. Oil for Strengthening your Muscles

Deeply relieving characteristics of coconut oil can curb muscle fatigue and keep you motivated for the workouts. Muscle relaxation can also be aided by oil massages. Its ability to enhance the secretion of insulin in the body prove its perks for body builders. A spike in insulin leads to a faster nutrient pumping to muscles within the body. It also regulates the flow of sugars in the blood. Hence, coconut oil can come as a great catch for people interested in increasing their muscular body mass.

15. Oil for Maintaining Bone Health

The coconut oil tops the list of natural remedies for curing osteoporosis. It enables a better absorption of calcium in the gut and is rich in antioxidants. The antioxidants in coconut oil are great for the removal of free radicals in the blood stream. Free radicals overwhelm the immune system of the body and this results in disturbing the hormonal balances inside the body. Under the influence of these free radicals, your body starts attacking self and this deteriorates your bone health. As the bone building is a slow process, the damages done once takes a long time to repair. Consumption of coconut oil improves bone health and volume at the same time.

16. Oil for Diabetes

Insulin generation is a very vital task for meeting the energy requirements of the body. In a patient suffering from diabetes, the insulin generation cycle is disturbed leading to major body challenges. The body starts turning insulin resistance and this overburdens pancreas for generating more and more insulin. Coconut oil can share the load of pancreas for energy generation and balance the insulin generation cycles in the body. This can be severely helpful for a type II diabetes patient.

17. Oil for Gallbladder Stones

The MCFAs in coconut oil crops a substance called monooctanoin. This substance a cholesterol solvent. It is widely used for dissolving gallbladder stones. More than half the patients have successfully tackled their stones using this substance. It comes as a great relief for patients who can develop surgical complications. Consuming coconut oil can also aid in removal of kidney stones. In the first place, this oil can even prevent the formation of stones in the body.

18. Oil for Nail Care

The anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties of coconut oil can be exploited to improve the hygiene of nails. The moisturising property of coconut oil aids in treating dry cuticles. Coconut oil also contains vitamin E which is great for improving nail heath.

19. Oil for Eyes

Coconut oil works wonder for eyes in two major ways. First is the application of coconut oil under the eyes can prevent wrinkles and baggy skin. It can also help with dark circles. Secondly, massaging your eyelids with warm coconut oil in clock-wise and anti-clockwise motion can relax you and de-strain your eyes. This remedy comes extremely handy and useful to be practised after a whole day of computer screen exposure.

20. Oil for Sun Protection

Recently this oil has been discovered to possess sunblock properties. It has an SPF of 7.11 which is just a level below olive oil. Application of coconut oil can offer mild protection from the harmful UV rays which can cause severe skin damages and seed cancer cells. This application of coconut oil is beneficial for people looking for a natural and cheap alternative to sunscreens available in the market. As the oil is extracted from plants, it is completely chemical – free solution to protect the skin from the sun.

21. Oil for Lactating Mothers

Pregnancy is a demanding stage in a women’s life. The bodily needs spike up and have to be met for both the mother and the child. Health experts claim that lactating mother who consume coconut oil yield more nutritious milk which will promote the benefits of coconut oil in baby’s body. Application of coconut oil on nipples is a great remedy for preventing infections and dry skin near the nipple. Studies claim that application of coconut oil around the belly during pregnancy can help in skin stretching. Osteoporosis, which is a common condition in women after pregnancy can also be prevented by coconut oil. All these benefits make the consumption and application of coconut oil for health, a sensible pick for expecting mothers.

22. Oil for Stretch Marks Reduction

Settling of stretch marks after pregnancy can be a disappointing condition for many ladies. These marks can also appear by sudden weight loss or gain. They are common in the upper hip and belly region. Many men suffer from stretch marks on their upper arms and shoulder due to workout cycles. Application of coconut oil fights the free radicals and makes the cell walls stronger. It gets absorbed evenly by the skin and penetrates deeper in the cells. This makes coconut oil an ideal choice for stretch mark removal. Many people use coconut oil with other essential oils rich in vitamin E for more speedy results.

23. Oil for Boosting Immunity

We have already seen the benefits of coconut oil in fighting some diseases and disorders. The conversion of lauric acid into monolaurin further aids the body’s immune system. The extracts of this oil develop a hostile environment for viruses. Both capric and lauric acids in the coconut oil have immunity-boosting influences. A single tablespoon of coconut oil every day can work wonders for your immune system. It enhances your immunity levels and enables faster recoveries.

24. Oil for Removing Free Radicals:

When you work out, the body releases free radicals. These are released as a residual derivative of cellular respiration. Excessive accumulation of these radicles can build up oxidative stress in your body which can cause internal inflammations. These radicles can attack your immune system and cause muscle fatigue. Coconut oil can mop these free radicals and prevent oxidation stress to build up. It enhances the antioxidants content in your body which can in itself be a suffice reason to start using coconut oil for health benefits.

25. Oil for Curbing Yeast Infections:

Coconut oil is a great natural solution for curing yeast infections. Lauric acid in coconut oil gives it the unique anti-microbial trait. Studies done on coconut oil have shown that many varieties of candida are susceptible to damage via this oil.

All these benefits of coconut oil are more than enough to justify its popularity in the health industry. Many countries are witnessing a massive upward shift in their coconut oil consumption. It’s time to figure out how well this oil can fit in your diet and complement your overall health. If you want share your tips or thoughts about coconut oil other benefits comment in the below section. It will be useful for everyone.

About The Author

Bipasha Mukherjee is a full-time content writer with a penchant for writing on health and fitness topics. Her passion is to help people towards a healthier life with her healthy food recipes and diet tips.